1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to printed circuit board manufacture, and in particular, to an imbedded die-scale interconnect for ultra-high speed digital communications.
2. Description of Related Art
As circuitry in electronics becomes more and more complex, packaging of the circuitry has become more difficult. The use of Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) has made packaging of integrated circuits and other electronic components easier and efficient.
Computer chip clocking speeds have also increased. This increase in speed has made it difficult to couple chips together in such a way that the chip speeds are completely useable. Typically, the limitations of a system are contributed to, in part, by the packaging of the system itself.
On a PCB, interconnections are made using traces that are etched onto a layer of the PCB. To create shorter interconnections, Surface Mount Technology (SMT) chips, Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) circuits, flip chip bonding, Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), and the like, have been wire bonded directly to PCBs to shorten the transit time and interconnection lengths between chips on a PCB. However, this technology has also not completely overcome the needs for higher signal speeds both intra-PCB and inter-PCB.
In any given system, PCB area (also known as PCB xe2x80x9creal estatexe2x80x9d) is at a premium With smaller packaging envelopes becoming the norm in electronics, e.g., laptop computers, spacecraft, cellular telephones, etc., large PCBs are not available for use to mount SMT chips or other devices. Methods are needed to decrease the size of PCBs, while still maintaining the functionality of the PCB.
It can be seen, then, that there is a need in the art for a method for decreasing the size of PCBs while maintaining the functionality of PCBs. Further, there is a need for reducing the size of PCBs while using present-day manufacturing techniques to maintain low cost packaging.
To overcome the limitations in the prior art described above, and to overcome other limitations that will become apparent upon reading and understanding the present specification, the present invention discloses a printed circuit board and a method for making a printed circuit board with an imbedded electrical component, comprising three layers. The first and second layers are coupled together, and an area of the second layer of the printed circuit board is selectively removed to expose a portion of the first layer of the printed circuit board. The opening accepts an electrical component that is mounted to the first layer of the printed circuit board within the selectively removed area of the second layer of the printed circuit board. The third layer of the printed circuit board is coupled to the second layer of the printed circuit board, at least partially covers the selectively removed area of the second layer of the printed circuit board, and at least partially covers the mounted component within the selectively removed area of the second layer of the printed circuit board.
An object of the present invention is to provide more efficient usage of printed circuit board real estate. Another object of the present invention is to increase the density of electronics on printed circuit boards.
These and various other advantages and features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed hereto and form a part hereof. However, for a better understanding of the invention, its advantages, and the objects obtained by its use, reference should be made to the drawings which form a further part hereof, and to the accompanying detailed description, in which there is illustrated and described specific examples of a method, apparatus, and article of manufacture in accordance with the invention.